With the June 25th NBA Draft now just two weeks away, the Lakers are facing a challenging ‘must win’ offseason whose success could determine whether the franchise remains a legitimate championship contender.
With the bad first round loss to the Wolves in the rear view mirror, Rob Pelinka needs to solve the Lakers’ daunting need for an elite shot blocking center to anchor the defense and point-of-attack guard to pair with Luka. While Pelinka has promised to be aggressive and says there will be major changes this summer, the messages coming from the Lakers camp still seem to be conflicted, especially when it comes to trading Austin Reaves.
Make no mistake, Rob Pelinka and the Lakers must make major moves this summer to fix their key roster issues or risk falling out of the elite group of teams who are perennially considered to be legitimate title contenders.
Should the Lakers fail to fix the defensive issues with their starting lineup and bench, they could suddenly find themselves themselves without a superstar if LeBron James retires and Luka Doncic decides not to stay.
Ironically, the upcoming NBA season will probably be the Lakers’ best chance of winning the NBA championship the next decade as the league’s undergoing a massive changing of the guard with new teams and stars.
Based on where the Lakers are now and where the league is heading, Rob Pelinka must go all-in this summer and take full advantage of their last best opportunity to fix their roster and build a real championship roster.
Here are four reasons why next season could be the Lakers’ best chance to win an NBA championship over the next decade as the league’s undergoing a generational changing of the guard as new teams and superstars emerge.
1. PARITY WILL NOT LAST FOREVER
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The first reason why next season could be the Lakers’ best chance to win an NBA championship over the next decade is the current parity will not last forever with the rapid rise of deep young talented teams like the Thunder.
Next season is likely to be the Lakers’ best chance over the next decade to win an NBA championship because rising teams like OKC, San Antonio, and Houston will quickly put parity back in everybody’s rear view mirror.
Deep with dynamic young two-way talent and loaded with valuable draft capital, the rising young teams like the Thunder, Spurs, and Rockets will replace Lakers, Celtics, Nuggets, and Bucks as the league’s top teams.
That’s why the Lakers need to go all-in this summer to prioritize winning the NBA title this season, when they could easily have their best and last chance to win another championship over the rest of this next decade.
Taking a slower, longer, and more conservative approach to upgrading their starting lineup and rotation, the Lakers could easily find themselves just struggling to keep pace with the teams with more options and assets.
Despite landing 26-year old Luka Doncic, the Lakers still face a ‘must win’ offseason that‘ll likely determine how they fare over the next decade. For once, Rob Pelinka cannot afford to simply kick the problem down the road.
Objectively speaking, the Lakers have no choice but to go all-in this summer to upgrade their starting lineup and 10-man rotation to be a championship roster. The future of their franchise depends on it.
Next season could be the Lakers’ best and last chance to win another NBA championship over the next decade because parity will not last forever. That’s why L.A. should go all-in this summer to win a championship.
2. LEBRON JAMES’ IRREPLACEABILITY
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The second major reason why next season could be the Lakers’ best chance to win an NBA championship over the next decade is LeBron James basic irreplaceability. It’s hard to imagine Lakers being better without LeBron.
It’s easy to say the Lakers should take their time and focus on building a winning roster around Luka Doncic but the harsh reality is their best opportunity to win another championship is probably next season.
In fact, LeBron’s decision of whether next season would be his last should be a key factor in the L.A.’s offseason strategy. Knowing next season will be LeBron James ‘farewell tour’ would definitely change the Lakers’ approach.
Realistically, whether LeBron announces he is retiring or not, the Lakers need to understand that James cannot play forever and that they need to prepare for the challenging transition from him to a team without him.
Frankly, were James to announce that next season was going to be his last, I have no doubt the Lakers would go all-in to try and help LeBron win his fifth NBA championship and his second ring wearing purple and gold.
The simple reality is the Los Angeles Lakers’ biggest challenge right now is not who’s going to be their starting shooting guard or center next season but who is going to replace LeBron James as Luke Doncic’s co-superstar.
With the league undergoing a changing of the guard, the Lakers’ best chance to win an NBA championship over the next decade is probably next season when they still have LeBron James playing at a top-10 level.
Bottom line, the almost impossible challenge of replacing LeBron James’ is another strong reason why next season could be the Los Angeles Lakers’ best last opportunity over the next decade to win an NBA championship.
3. LOOMING OFFSEASON FIREWORKS
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The third major reason why next season could be the Lakers’ best chance in the next decade to win a championship is the projected trade fireworks that Shams and other pundits are projecting for this coming summer.
With 75% of the NBA now buyers as a result of the Play-In Tournament and parity making every GM think they have a chance to win a championship, this offseason is expected to be one of the wildest summers in history.
With the Suns likely trading KD and the Bucks possibly trading Giannis, there should be great opportunities for Rob Pelinka to find a starting defensive center and starting point-of-attack two-way shooting guard.
With the NBA draft just two weeks away and fireworks expected this summer, the Lakers need to be ready to go all-in to trade for an elite starting rim protecting center and point-of-attack defensive guard.
With multiple coveted players available, the Lakers must maximize their trade assets by being willing to move Austin Reaves and Dalton Knecht as well as their one first round pick and four possible first round pick swaps.
Last summer was projected to be a relatively slow offseason due to teams concerns about the new CBA but it was far more active than expected. With teams now more comfortable, expect an even bigger summer this year.
Pelinka specifically needs to identify and then focus on the ‘right players’ rather than the ‘right deal.’ This summer is going to be brutally competitive and the Lakers could have to overpay in order to get the ‘right’ players.
Next season could be the Lakers’ best chance over the next decade to win another NBA championship because expectations are that this summer will be filled with multiple blockbuster trades in a wild and crazy offseason.
4. HEAVY PRESSURE TO GO ALL-IN
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The fourth and biggest reason why next season could be the Lakers’ best chance to win an NBA championship over the next decade is the heavy pressure from LeBron James and Luka Doncic to go all-in this summer.
With LeBron James able to decline his player option and become an unrestricted free agent and with Luka Doncic eligible for a long-term extension as soon as August 2nd, Rob Pelinka is under intense pressure.
While nobody expects LeBron to leave or Luka not to sign an extension, the Lakers would be foolish not to realize they need a blockbuster summer that fixes their roster issues to guarantee LeBron and Luka will re-sign.
The Lakers issues are too major to be ignored or satisfied by settling for the second, third, or fourth best option to fill their need for a shot blocking center and point-of-attack guard rather than paying for the ‘right’ player.
The franchise’s single biggest priority is to lock Luka Doncic up via a long-term extension. Pelinka has to know that failing to get Doncic to extend his contract with the Lakers is probably the only way he could lose his job.
The one wild card to this entire discussion is the possibility that the Lakers might pull off a couple of blockbuster trades to catapult them into the role of one of the pre-season favorites to win next season’s NBA championship.
Could the Lakers actually have such a great summer that LeBron James decided he would like to play for two more years before retiring. Luka could be sending LeBron workout videos to encourage him to do just that.
Bottom line, the Lakers must go all-in to build a team this summer that can compete for a championship next season as that could be their best and possibly last chance over the next decade to win another championship.
…are you saying….I think I see what you’re getting at here…that the 2025-26 season could be the Lakers’ best chance to win an NBA championship over the next decade?!?!?!
Well, hate to burst your bubble. It is not. Next season might actually be the absolute worst chance for the Lakers, or anyone else, because all 4 teams in the EC and WC finals are going to bring back essentially the same roster (at least the core players). Add in Mike Malone likely taking over in NYC and likely elevating KAT’s game (that’s my Nostradamus on that one) and the fact that Boston will still be Boston even after waiting a year for Tatum to bet back and that whole theory is really just that. A theory. Oh yeah. Denver.
We don’t even need to get into how the Mavs, Magic and New Orleans could do better simply with improved health, parity ain’t going nowhere. There are too many good players spread out around the league…most of them out west although that could change this summer if KD heads east and Giannis doesn’t come west.
Or, due to parity, any season might now be the Lakers best chance. Imagine if the roll we had going had happened a month and half later? If that incredible two-way team that was playing on a string and playing as complete until had been the team we saw in the playoffs? Instead we had a hurt LeBron, a hurt DFS, a hurt Reaves and coach out of his depth in his first playoffs. None of that needs to repeat, those are all solvable issues, as-is.
Luka is entering his prime. When LBJ retires we can literally sign/trade for any player who asks to come here into the cap space his massive contract currently occupies or have a solid offer prepared for any free agents that fit into the game plan around Luka. We’ll want some draft picks on hand for that reality and rest assured it’s a reality that’s closer, not further away.
Reaves, Rui, and Luka are a solid core of both offense and defense. What they lack are the 2 things you mention: a defense-oriented PG and center. Ours vanished or didn’t get floor time despite the fact we got obliterated in the paint and on the glass. Fitting that you completely avoid/excuse/forget that our coach was out-foxed at every single turn in the playoffs, as well.
In short, you’re the only one hitting the panic button. There are the bones of a solid team right here, right now. We don’t need 451 fake trades cobbled from BS that have zero chance of happening. We need to hold onto to some draft capital for precisely the reason you seem to be panicking about the team: eventually LeBron will retire. I wish he would, honestly, but I think he’ll do something like a farewell tour. Who knows.
And, honestly, it’s his call and I accept it. But Mongo made a point a month or so ago that it will never be truly Luka’s team until LeBron hangs ’em up. I agree with that 100%. LeBron is too pricey, too legendary, just too much of all of it for the torch to be passed while he’s on a roster. We saw it with AD and we blamed AD for it, probably a little too much, although his personality and deference to LBJ was a huge factor, as well.
Even if we run it back with margin moves (adding a PG and a center, maybe trading Kleber or Shake but I doubt it) I like our odds with a healthy Luka (who rushed back), a more established pecking order, and the coaching staff getting a summer and a camp to make the changes we know need to happen which is to find the best pick and roll partners we can to pair with Luka. We all know the defense needs work, you can’t fix all of it this summer. As long as the guys on the roster try hard, play hard, and we improve the 5 I think we have as much of a chance as any other team.
Thanks to parity.
Anyhow, I don’t expect anything anyone says to stop the flood of trades seen, yours and one’s you find. There have been a couple I’d be in favor of, even. Most I am not or they’re wholly unrealistic. But there’s a strong sense I feel that the Lakers will all but run it back with some margin tweaks. Heck, simply swapping Hayes for Capella would make a huge difference.
So we’ll see.
I agree Jamie. We have a pretty solid core. We don’t have the assets to fix everything this year. Hopefully we can land a decent center. Doesn’t have to be a star bust solid. Under the new CBA it makes dynasties hard. Next year is the last year OKC will be able to afford that squad. Then their young stars will want to get paid. There will be guys like Bruce Brown and Melton available cheap. With a decent center rotation and a few bench pieces we will be a good team. Maybe top 4 again with a training camp and health. We don’t have enough assets to catch OKC this year.
I’d focus on the center position. Between Reaves, Vincent, Luka and LBJ we have enough playmakers and guards. Vincent might get traded…but I kinda doubt it. We won’t get back good value and we can’t trade 2-3 players for one as we create as many holes as we plug up in that scenario. $11.5 mil isn’t bringing back a higher impact player than Vincent.
Also retain Goodwin for the regular season and hope he takes a step and can be a playoff contributor. Some of that is JJ learning to trust guys, as well.